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Welcome to my blog
This is the place where I try to make sense of the world, and of my place in it.
Some of these reflections emerge from my work as a researcher. Others are inspired by conversations, books, podcasts, retreats, walks in nature, half-finished notebook pages, or experiences that linger long after they happen. They do not always arrive as answers. More often, they arrive as questions.
I write about the things that move me: connection, change, creativity, community, purpose, leadership, learning, hope, grief, complexity, and what it means to be human in a rapidly changing world. Sometimes I explore these themes through stories. Sometimes through personal reflection. Sometimes through ideas that are still very much in development.
I do not write because I have figured things out. Quite the opposite. Writing helps me think. It helps me connect the dots between different parts of my life and work, and occasionally reveals patterns that I had not noticed before.
Many of the topics that appear here also find their way into my research, my podcast, the communities and initiatives I am involved in, and the conversations I have with others. I increasingly see them as different expressions of the same underlying curiosity: how can we become more deeply connected with ourselves, with one another, and with the world around us?
This blog is therefore less a collection of articles and more a collection of traces left behind while exploring that question.
Feel free to wander.
Perhaps you will find an idea that sparks something, a question worth carrying for a while, or simply the comforting realization that none of us is quite as alone in our searching as we sometimes think.
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Why is it that certain lives seem more important than others?
Today, I received a message that has stayed with me. I asked whether I could share it here. Not because I believe I have an answer, but because I have the feeling this question deserves a conversation rather than a conclusion. This is what she wrote: «Hi again Liesbet, I must say I am a big fan of your blogs and your podcasts the more time I spend following them. I love the way I am pushed to think about my own life and my own experiences and the way it makes me relate to you
Liesbet Peeters
Jul 285 min read
Who am I?
There are few questions that make me as uncomfortable as being asked to introduce myself. Whenever it happens, I can almost feel my brain frantically searching for the right collection of labels, roles and descriptions. I usually end up mentioning my profession, my research area, the university I work for, perhaps that I am a mother, a partner, a friend or a daughter. Depending on the context, I might also mention where I live, how old I am, which projects I am working on, or
Liesbet Peeters
Jul 143 min read
A Deep Time Walk
A few weeks ago, I joined a Deep Time Walk. I expected an interesting experience. Perhaps a bit of science, a bit of walking, and some food for thought along the way. What I did not expect was that it would leave such a profound impression on me. In fact, I wrote a blog about the experience afterwards (link) What struck me most was not the scientific story itself, but the perspective shift it created. Walking through 4.6 billion years of Earth's history — literally one step a
Liesbet Peeters
Jul 93 min read
The power of tenderness
In this episode of The World of Liesbet, I welcome Stephanie Koziej, an interdisciplinary scholar, artist, teacher and activist whose work brings together philosophy, science, technology, art and human connection. As I mention in the introduction, Stephanie and I were introduced by mutual colleagues after hearing, independently, that we really should meet. That first conversation quickly revealed how many questions we have in common: about technology and humanity, ethics and
Liesbet Peeters
Jul 24 min read
The Story We Tell Ourselves
There is a story many of us carry without ever consciously choosing it. It tells us that one day, if we pay enough attention, ask ourselves the right questions and gather enough courage, we will discover what we are here to do. The story promises a moment of recognition. A moment when life suddenly makes sense because we finally understand our purpose. I don't know where this story comes from. Perhaps it is cultural. Perhaps it is religious. Perhaps it is simply human. Whatev
Liesbet Peeters
Jun 273 min read
'How are you really doing?'
Lately, people who have been following me for a while are starting to notice a shift. I am changing inside, and my environment notices it too. More and more, people ask me: "How are you really doing?" To be honest, it triggers me. My first thought is always: I'm fine, leave me alone, I don’t need your pity. But the wiser part of me knows they ask with the best intentions. They care, they want to help. So I shouldn't be annoyed. But the fact that they ask so often shows they
Liesbet Peeters
May 267 min read
Not a wall, but a door
Exploring the space between protecting my boundaries and letting others help A few weeks ago I went on a retreat at a Buddhist center. We had a really lovely group of people there. It was the second time I had done something like this, but that part is not really important for this story. What is important is that there was someone there who really triggered me. And that does not happen very often. I am not someone who is known for judging other people quickly. I have enough
Liesbet Peeters
May 225 min read
4 Days of Chaos (and why I had to walk away)
It was a normal long weekend. On paper, it looks like nice family time. Everyone is home, the kids have time off. But for my brain, it was a constant sensory attack. There is mess everywhere. The moment I clean up a corner, it gets messy again. There is a knife covered in chocolate on the counter, leaving sticky marks. There are extra friends over, because staying inside is boring. There is loud laughing, shifting into slamming doors and silbings fighting. My battery is empty
Liesbet Peeters
May 172 min read
The Butcher’s Line: Why I Can No Longer Be a "Walking Head"
The last few nights, some images have been returning with terrifying clarity. Even during the day, they demand to be processed. They take me back to my time as a PhD researcher at KU Leuven (2008-2013). They take me back to the slaughter line. I see the pigs and chickens being electrocuted. The horses and cows stunned by a bolt gun. I remember the sound of the carotid arteries being slashed, the blood gushing from their necks while their bodies shiver with the last tremors of
Liesbet Peeters
May 73 min read
4.6 Kilometres (and a bit of a panic attack)
Last week, I joined a Deep Time Walk, guided by Prof. Griet Verbeeck. What is a Deep Time Walk? It’s a "head-heart-body" experience. You walk exactly 4.6 kilometres, where every metre represents 1 million years of Earth's evolution. By physically walking through time, you realize how ancient our planet is and how late —literally in the last few millimetres— humans arrived. It’s designed to break us out of our "short-term thinking." Griet guided us beautifully. She called hers
Liesbet Peeters
May 52 min read
What my ideal day revealed
World Of Liesbet Podcast solo-episode: [listen] I did an exercise a while ago that stayed with me. You had to imagine your ideal day and write it down in detail. At first, I was quite sceptical. It felt a bit… unnecessary. But once I started writing, something unexpected happened. And over time, that simple exercise quietly started to influence how I live my life today. About a year ago, my coach gave me a book: Walking into This World by Julia Cameron. She simply said: “Thi
Liesbet Peeters
May 53 min read
To the People Leading the Mission
An open letter to Patrick Ryan following his testimonial at the OHDSI Europe To the People Leading the MissionSymposium 2026 Last week I attended the OHDSI Europe Symposium in Rotterdam. Having co-organised the event ourselves the year before, it was wonderful to simply be there this time — to take it all in. The programme was outstanding (→ link to the symposium website: all sessions can be rewatched). The energy was inspiring, the people were hopeful, and the community felt
Liesbet Peeters
Apr 285 min read
Do Good and Do Not Look Back: On Data Solidary
Podcast Episode — with Sofie De Broe [Link to episode] In our professional lives, we often talk about data as if it were a separate entity—something to be "governed," "managed," or "secured." But in my latest podcast episode, Sofie De Broe (Scientific Director at Sciensano and Professor at Maastricht University) and I peel back the layers of technology to find what lies beneath: Data Solidarity. This conversation is a bit of a hybrid. I invite the "data-nerds" to stay for th
Liesbet Peeters
Apr 133 min read
The Professor is Confused (And Why That May Be Good News)
I recently rewrote my mission statement: "I envision a world in which people are deeply connected with themselves, with one another, and with the world around them. A world in which love, rather than ego or fear, guides our choices, relationships, and systems." This statement feels like a compass that finally points in the right direction. It resonates with who I am becoming. And at the same time, it terrifies me. Why? Because I am also an Associate Professor in Biomedical D
Liesbet Peeters
Apr 132 min read
The Day I Was Compared to Hitler
“In essence, that makes you no better than Hitler.” It’s been about three years since a colleague said this to me during an informal dinner. This was someone I liked and respected—and still do. He didn’t say it to be mean or to hurt me; he was making a point. We had stumbled onto the topic of idealism versus realism, and for a moment, his logic felt terrifyingly sound. If you’ve followed me for a while or seen my LinkedIn profile, you know I label myself an idealist. To me, i
Liesbet Peeters
Apr 132 min read
People Pleasers Anonymous
"My name is Liesbet and I am a recovering people pleaser." "Hi Liesbet." You know the image. The standard scene from films and series about AA meetings — anonymous alcoholics gathering together, sharing the one thing they have in common, drawing strength from each other's stories, working toward a life where they can leave that first glass untouched. What if something like that existed for the toxic trait of people pleasing? I used to struggle with it. A lot. For most of my l
Liesbet Peeters
Mar 313 min read
Is data like money?
Last week, someone said to me: "Data is like money." The point was to explain why sharing data matters. You don't earn money just to earn money — you want to spend it too. Otherwise it just piles up, without meaning. The same goes for data: you don't collect it simply to have it. You share it, so something can actually happen with it. The person next to me found it a mindblowingly interesting metaphor. I felt something different. Not that it was wrong. On the contrary — it so
Liesbet Peeters
Mar 302 min read
Presence is enough
Podcast #7 - [Link] I hesitated before deciding to publish this episode. Not because the story did not matter. But because it is more personal than anything I have shared here before. Until now, the conversations on my podcast explore change, leadership, courage, and the ways we shape a better world together. This story is quieter. And yet, while recording it, I realised something important: Change does not only live in bold ideas or large systems. Sometimes it lives in the
Liesbet Peeters
Mar 212 min read
The first Wandering - some reflections
The first World of Liesbet Wandering brought together a small but wonderfully diverse group of people. Some had travelled only a few kilometres. Others had come from much farther away. Different cities. Different backgrounds. Different reasons for showing up. What we shared was simple curiosity: what happens when a group of people decide to walk together without a plan? Topics of discussion went into many different directions. Apparently, the famous 65-year threshold for reti
Liesbet Peeters
Mar 63 min read
Choosing Flow over Force
On questioning autopilot and moving beyond the script Podcast Episode — with Joerik Michiels [Link to episode] For the first few episodes of this podcast, I spoke with people I already knew. There was comfort in that familiarity, a quiet sense of safety as I found my rhythm as a host. This time was different. For the first time, I invited someone I had never met before. Someone I had only encountered through articles, podcasts, and the stories others told about him. Someone w
Liesbet Peeters
Feb 226 min read
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